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Natural Prevention & Treatment For The Flu: What Your Doctor May Not
Know by Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP, CH
Flu can affect 10 to 30 percent of the U.S. population each winter.
The flu virus can linger in the air for as long as three hours. In close
quarters, conditions are ripe for the spread of the virus. That explains why the
highest incidence of the flu is in 5- to 18-year-olds, who spend much of their
time in school, in close contact with their classmates. The most serious
complications occur in older adults, however, especially those in managed care.
Do not give aspirin or other "salicylates" to children or teenagers with
symptoms of a cold or flu. Don't bother taking antibiotics to treat your flu or
cold; antibiotics do not kill viruses, and they should be used only for
bacterial infections. Antibiotic overuse has become a very serious problem,
leading to a resistance in disease-causing bacteria that may render antibiotics
ineffective for some conditions.
According to a National Survey OTC cough
and cold medication sales totaled 3.2 billion dollars in 1995, That's no
surprise, considering Americans endure about 1 billion colds each
year.
The "experts" are using fear and vaccine shortage to motivate
people to get a flu shot, but this is yet another healthcare illusion. Let's be
clear, flu can definitely be a killer disease and is not something that should
be easily dismissed. But, remember that flu shots don't prevent illness--never
have, never will. The flu vaccine can actually weaken the immune system and make
you more predisposed to the illness. And the side effects of FluMist, cough,
runny nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and
fever, sound just like the symptoms of the flu. If you decide to get the nasal
flu vaccine, you will get not only a live flu virus in each dose but also table
sugar and MSG, which are fraught with their own problems. If you take the shot
you may get mercury as an added bonus.
Building A Healthy Immune System:
Your #1 Offense
1) Detoxify your digestive tract and liver/gallbladder
now. Disease often begins in the digestive tract and the liver is the main
filter of the body. When either or both of these are sluggish then your body can
be ripe for illness. This will prepare your body to readily be able to absorb,
utilize and transport the good food and supplements that you will be using. It
is good to do this once a month for 3 months then 2x's yearly. I would also
recommend a parasite cleanse especially if you consume a lot of non-organic
meat.
2) Eliminate all sugar. One teaspoon of sugar can bring the immune
system down for up to 6 hours. Natural, healthy substitutes for sugar are
stevia, agave nectar and Xylitol. It is best for you to satisfy your taste buds
with fresh, organic fruits. Be sure to eat the whole fruit as juicing your fruit
will cause your insulin levels to spike. If you crave chocolate chances are you
may have a magnesium deficiency.
3) Change your diet. Your immune system
will flourish on a diet of organic fruits and vegetables. Two raw salads (use
dark green leafy lettuce) a day eaten with lunch and dinner will help to provide
you body with much-needed vitamins and nutrients. Incorporate soups and stews
into your diet. If you eat meat make sure that it is organic and free-range.
Fish should be cold-water and eaten no more than twice a week. Farmed raised
fish are not healthy because most of the feed corn derived and therefore you
will not get the benefits of the beneficial fatty acids such as DHA and EPA.
They also may be exposed to high levels of pesticides. Consider taking Chlorella
to remove any mercury. If you are pregnant it is advised that you not eat fish.
Cook with organic, unrefined coconut oil (try to consume 2-3 tablespoons daily)
and for salads use organic, unrefined, cold-pressed olive oil. Eliminate
pre-packaged foods and those foods that are canned or bagged. Purchase organic,
free-range eggs and organic butter. Substitute pasteurized/homogenized milk with
almond milk. You can also bake/cook with almond milk.
4) Eat a clove of
garlic every day. Garlic acts in the body as a natural antibiotic. You must
smash the clove in order to realize the immune enhancing properties.
5)
Drink half your body weight in pure, filtered water every day. Our body is
mostly water. We must put back what we eliminate through breathing, sweating and
urination. Water helps the kidneys to continually flush toxins from the body.
Make sure that you are drinking pure, filtered water. I recommend distilled with
organic apple cider vinegar added to replace the minerals lost through
distillation.
6) Exercise every single day. Exercise not only helps with
blood circulation and to keep unwanted pounds away but also can help with
depression. Exercise helps to move the lymph system, which will in-turn move
toxins from the body. Walking outdoors in the sun will help your body with
Vitamin D production. For those who don't experience a lot of sunshine it is
recommended that you supplement with Vitamin D under the care of a health
professional. An article published by the International Journal of Sports
Medicine illustrates the effect exercise can have on infections. In this study,
only 45 minutes of brisk walking per day was shown to lower the incidence of
upper respiratory symptoms, cut the duration of illness in half and increase
natural killer-cell activity in people prone to upper respiratory tract
infections.
7) Adequate Sleep. Almost 80% of the population is sleep
deprived. Sleep is necessary for our body to repair and heal. The body does the
most healing between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. There is no such
thing as catching-up on sleep as once it is lost--it cannot be regained through
marathon sleeping on the weekends. Getting adequate rest allows the immune
system to repair and be in top condition.
8) Take a good organic
multi-vitamin/mineral formula, Vitamin C and a Probiotic. Unfortunately eating
organically doesn't always protect us in a perfect manner. Depleted soil
conditions has definitely affected the nutrients contained in our vegetables and
fruits. I have found one that I consider the "Cadillac" when it comes to
providing the body with everything it needs to continue in health. It is a wise
choice to consume 2-3 grams of Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate) daily in divided
doses. A good probiotic will help to keep good bacteria in the digestive
tract.
9) Wash your hands frequently. Wash your hands in the mornings,
after every meal, after all outings, after shaking hands with people, after each
trip to the bathroom and before bed. Teach your children to do the same. Do not
use antibacterial soaps. The antibacterial compounds found in most of these
soaps sold in the United States are likely contributing to the spread of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Use a good all-natural soap from the health food
store. Wash with warm water and use a nailbrush along the nail line and
in-between fingers. Keep fresh, clean towels available to dry hands. Make sure
that you keep your hands away from your eyes and mouth. When away from home,
keep a mixture of lemon essential oil, lavender essential oil and distilled
water (40 drops lemon essential oil and 30 drops lavender essential oil to 4
ounces of distilled water) in a dark-colored, glass, fine-mist spray bottle.
Spray on hands immediately after trips to grocery stores, doctor, etc. or any
time you are shaking people's hands. At home, wipe all doorknobs frequently with
this mixture. Keep a bottle at home, in the car and at work. We have these
available at Oasis Advanced Wellness in a 2- ounce bottle for $9.95. Make sure
that you keep your computer keys and mouse clean at all times. Also keep your
phone's (cell and landline) receivers clean. 10) Deal with stress. Repeated
stress is one of the main causes of a suppressed immune system. Learn to manage
your stress with exercise, meditation, deep breathing, walks in nature, good
music, Yoga, Pilates and removing yourself from negative situations. Refuse to
allow anyone or any situation to make you stressful. There are natural
supplements that you can incorporate to help with stress such as B-Complex,
Lithium Orotate or SamE.
In Case Of Flu--Items To Have On Hand--Your #1
Defense
1) Hydrogen Peroxide. In 1928 Richard Simmons, M.D. hypothesized
that colds and flu virus enter through the ear canal. The medical community
dismissed his findings. According to Dr. Simmons, contrary to what you may think
or have been taught about how you catch the flu or the cold there is only one
way that you can catch the two, and that's via the ear canal not through the
eyes or nose or mouth as most have believed. We have found good results in
curing the flu & cold within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops
of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) into each infected ear, (sometimes only one ear
is infected) The H2O2 starts working within 2 to 3 minutes in killing the flu or
cold; there will be some bubbling and in some cases mild stinging occurs. Wait
until the bubbling & stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 min) then drain onto
tissue and repeat other ear. A bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide in 3% solution is
available at any drug store for a couple of dollars. Although this method is
perfectly safe for infant/children to use, the loud bubbling and stinging
frightens them, they'll need someone they trust to put the hp in their ears.
(Don't get h2o2 in the eyes- if you do, flush with water) 2) Colloidal Silver.
Colloidal Silver is anti-bacterial and anti-viral and has been used for hundreds
of years for it's antibiotic affect on the body. Most brands are very expensive
and are golden in color. This indicates that there are additives in the product.
Silver is the whitest of metals and the solution should be clear to a tiny bit
white in color. More PPM does not necessarily make a good colloidal silver. In
fact the lower the PPM the better able for it to penetrate the cell wall. While
some will say that silver has no benefit, this is not what we have found at our
house. Call your healthcare professional for therapeutic dosages. 3) Oregano
Oil. Oregano Oil can be as an effective pain reliever as morphine. For sinus
congestion or stuffiness place 1 drop of oregano oil in 1 ounce of warm water.
(more is not better) Make sure that the oil is dispersed. Place 1-2 drops of the
mixture in each nostril and sniff. The mixture will burn for about 30 seconds.
This will help to break up sinus congestion. Do this 3-4 times daily and before
bed. To take orally drop 3-5 drops in a veggie cap and take with food three
times daily. Oregano Oil is also anti-bacterial and anti-viral.
4)
Vitamin C. Capsules and powder are best. Take up to bowel tolerance. Taking the
recommended dosage on the bottle will not be enough--for preventative purposes,
double or triple it. If sick, divide the dosage and take some every hour---up to
6 grams daily. According to Linus Pauling, "adults should be taking at least 2-3
grams a day. There is much evidence about increased health with 2 grams a day,
and of course even more with 4 or 6 grams a day. Even an extra 60mg had been
shown to add value in cutting down the death rate from heart disease, cancer and
other diseases. Now my feeling is as people grow older they ought to be
increasing their vitamin C and perhaps they should follow the policy that I have
followed of increasing the intake. It can be either one chunk, one dose in the
morning, or even better three doses throughout the day, increasing the intake
until a laxative effect is observed, speeding up the rate of elimination of
waste material from the bowel. So my suggestion is every person who wants to
have the best of health should increase the intake of vitamin C to somewhat less
than the amount that causes significant looseness of the bowel." 5) Drink lots
of fresh vegetable juice and pure, clean water. Flooding the body with liquids
will help to flush out toxins and will also give the body added enzymes (helps
with inflammation and pain) and nutrients. 6) Premier 8 - Glyconutrients have
been given the title of "the new class of missing nutrients" or "miracle
sugars". Scores of studies have linked a deficiency of the extraordinary sugars
to everything from lupus and diabetes to heart disease to cancer; from ADHD to
infertility. Dozens of illnesses have been linked to an imbalance of these
sugars. This is NOT the same as table sugar. Order the book Miracle Sugars by
Rita Elkins for more explanation. Glyconutrients may represent the best of
preventative medicine and may help with the following: viral infection, fungal
infection, parasitic disease, bacterial disease, micro-bacterial disease,
auto-immune disease. Providing the immune system with the right glyconutrients
helps it recognize infectious organisms more readily. Remember, it is the
"glycol" or sugar portion of both our immune cells and invading organisms that
transfer messages. There is only one company (multi-level) that currently offers
a similar product for a much higher price. You can get Premier 8 only through
Oasis Advanced Wellness.
7) Zinc Lozenges - According to Dr. Joseph
Mercola, when using zinc lozenges it is important to recognize that they need to
be sucked on, NOT swallowed, and smaller doses taken more frequently seem to
work better. Suck on a quarter lozenge every 30 minutes. If started early, this
approach seems to work well for the majority of people. One caution: if the
lozenges make you nauseous they should be stopped immediately as this is a sign
of zinc toxicity. Do not use zinc lozenges that contain aspartame.
8)
Eucalyptus Essential Oil - Diffuse eucalyptus essential oil into the air when
sleeping at night. This will help to keep the sinuses and nasal passages open.
It is also anti-viral and anti-bacterial. During the day diffuse lemon essential
oil in the air, especially to keep other family members from getting
sick.
If you take preventative steps now you will be doing yourself and
your family a huge favor. Always make sure that you are prepared if the flu
happens to hit you or a family member. If your immune system is functioning at a
good level then your "down time" and side effects should be minimal. Talk with
your family about the suggestions in this article and then implement as many as
possible. You will be glad that you started early!
About the Author
Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP, CH is Founder/CEO of Oasis Advanced
Wellness in the Houston, TX area. A prolific author and seminar speaker, she
counsels clients about getting/keeping the body healthy and also develops
customized health programs. Dr. Lanphier is Editor of the worldwide E-newsletter
Advanced Health & Wellness. www.oasisadvancedwellness.com
www.menopause-pms-progesterone.org and www.oasisserene.com We would love to
become your "partner in health."
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